Bairrada | 百利达

Bairrada

Just north of the city of Coimbra is the region of Bairrada, where its 10,000 hectares give rise to the longest living wines in Portugal; 50 or 60 years after harvesting, they are still able to provide the consumer with intense delight. This derives from the region’s specific terroir, a combination of a markedly Atlantic climate, a variety that is full of personality but difficult to work with – Baga – and a soil that is claylimestone in nature. These factors yield a red wine that has stiff but tamable tannins, is naturally fairly acidic but still allows for consumption of the young red wine, while at the same time having all the necessary features for long storage in a cellar.

Currently, the Baga variety does not hold sway alone; other varieties have joined it, from the Touriga Nacional, the Merlot and the Tinta Roriz to the Pinot Noir, which finds in these lands ideal conditions for its development.

White wines from Bairrada are marked by the Bical and Maria Gomes varieties; the former provides a lively acidity that ensures a long life in the cellar, and the latter furnishes the body and structure. Lively whilst young, these are modern whites that will take various types of winemaking technique without loss of quality and these whites are especially long-lived, as evidence of 20-year-old whites recently demonstrate.

The region is also known for two other factors, which complement each other: the production of sparkling wine and the regional roast suckling pig dish, justifying a trip expressly to some of the many restaurants that catch the tourist’s eye along the road. The local sparkling wines come in many varieties, from the simplest to the highest in the hierarchy, where we can find sparkling wines that have been stored for several years and that shine as a regional ex-libris.

Many changes have taken place in Bairrada in the last few years, bringing the region back into consumers’ preferences and to the applause of international critics. Some technological innovations that allow the “softening” of the Baga have contributed to this, as well as the introduction of earlier varieties that can be harvested before the equinox rains, which are inevitable in the region. Today, among the 40% of wines produced here that are certified as Bairrada or Regional Beiras, we can easily find a Merlot, a Cabernet Sauvignon or a Touriga Nacional, alongside traditional red wines made from the Baga variety, and produced following the old methods, using winepresses and ageing in large barrels.

Discover the list of producers in this region here.

百利达

在科因布拉城稍北坐落着百拉达产区，在这里诞生了葡萄牙最长寿的红葡萄酒，它们有可能在采摘后达到50, 60年，给消费者们带来了极大的快乐。之所以能酿造出这样的红酒，原因可能在于这个产区特殊的风土与深受大西洋影响的气候，还有个性十足却难以驾驭的葡萄品种——巴加葡萄，以及粘土-石灰石相结合的土壤基质，这些因素叠加在一起产生了一种单宁坚硬但驯化，自然酸度高但当它还是新酒时就可以饮用的红酒，尽管它本身具备了一切在地下酒窖中长储的条件。
现在，在这个产区已经不是巴加葡萄一统天下了；其他品种的葡萄，从国产多丽嘉，梅洛，红罗丽斯到黑比诺也被使用，因为这些品种在这里遇到了绝佳的发展条件。
百拉达白葡萄酒的特征是使用比卡尔葡萄和玛利亚•戈麦斯葡萄；第一个品种赋予葡萄酒一种活泼的酸度，确保它们在地下酒窖中的生命；而第二个品种则赋予葡萄酒酒体和结构。当它们还是新酒显得很活泼，呈一种现代白色，能够接受多种酿造方法而不失去其品质。最近进行的20年白葡萄酒品鉴显示，这些白葡萄酒特别长寿。
这个产区还由于其他两个因素而闻名于世，它们正好相辅相成：酿造起泡葡萄酒和地方特色菜——烤乳猪，沿公路有许多餐馆供应这道美味，吸引了许多游客。这里的起泡葡萄酒涵盖了的范围很广，从最简单的起泡酒到顶级的、在地下酒窖中成熟多年而成为这个地区标志的高端起泡酒。
最近这些年在百拉达产区也发生很多变化，再次将这个产区带到了消费者们的喜好和国际评论的掌声中。为此，促成了一些让巴加葡萄“软化”的技术革新，还引进了一些可以在秋分降雨前采摘的早熟品种，秋分降雨是这个产区一个无法避免的自然现象。今天，在传统的红色品种葡萄——巴加葡萄旁边，我们很容易找到梅洛葡萄，赤霞珠葡萄或是国产多丽嘉葡萄，在酒槽里用古老的方法酿造它们，然后放进大型酒桶中进行陈化。